The BHOB peg: more about slings and stands

Since penning a review of slings and stands for the cor anglais, it’s been brought to my attention that Howarth’s are now selling the BHOB peg. I’ve pasted below Howarth’s Facebook update about this peg:

“There is a new instrument support available for those who need to relieve the weight of their instrument. Inspired by the no longer produced “FHRED”, the BHOB is RDG’s own version of the popular telescoping support peg. The BHOB is a thin, adjustable peg that attaches to any thumbrest with a ring and rests on the chair between the legs of the performer.’ This new support can be used on the oboe, cor anglais and clarinet (with an adapter). You can find them on our website here.”

The BHOB peg is currently listed at £42.95. I’m quite happy with my floor stand for the cor and I don’t think I need any extra support for the oboe at the moment, but this might come in useful if I decide to take up the clarinet properly. I bought a clarinet in a charity shop ages ago, and have only really footled about with it for the moment, but I’ve noticed that it’s much heavier than the oboe. If I do end up playing the clarinet more than twice a year, I may punt out for a BHOB peg, but, and without wishing to be pernickety, I have noticed a small problem. The thing is that the young woman modelling the peg in Howarth’s photo is about four or five times smaller than I am, and I usually wear long full skirts to hide my ever-increasing girth. The peg fits snugly between slim be-jeaned legs, but it’s going to be awkward for me in a tent-size skirt to sit comfortably with this – and what about trying to use the peg when wearing my posh concert frock? But sitting astride a peg thrust into about an acre of bunched-up material is still more comfortable than tendonitis.

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6 comments for “The BHOB peg: more about slings and stands”

Clare

September 30, 2014 at 11:01 am

I use a stand like this with my clarinet & actually rest it in my right leg rather than on the chair (I have problems with my left shoulder which make it uncomfortable to play dead centre). I find that with it on my leg, I makes it easier to move with the music/ bringing others in etc too.
I couldn’t play for years before I found this. It’s a wonder 🙂

Hello Clare,
That’s interesting – thank you for the feedback! Glad you’ve sorted out your problems and that you can play again. I must give these stands a try the next time I’m in Howarth’s.
Thanks for visiting the blog xx

Have you had chance to try it yet? I am an ancient 77 year-old with a sore thumb! I am using the Kooiman rest at present which is great for half an hour or so practising but performing two-concerts leave me with an aching hand.

I haven’t tried out the BHOB stand yet, no, but it does sound as if you might benefit from using a stand or a sling. The Kooiman rest is a thumb rest, is that right? I hadn’t heard of it before and had to Google it. An aching hand is not good and it won’t get better, so if I were you, I’d definitely try some other options. Also, make sure you warm up before you play and stretch afterwards. If I hear of any other slings/stands coming onto the market, I’ll be sure to post about them.

Yes, the Kooiman is a slightly bulky attachment that replaces the old thumb rest and it slides up and down on a ratchet so it can adjusted a great deal to individual hands. It moves the weight from that little spot on or above the end thumb joint and spreads it over the bottom part of the thumb from the joint down to where the thumb joins the hand. This really helps me a lot. For younger players with a sore patch it would doubtless be really good, probably perfect. For me, it helps as I said, but the weight of the clarinet is still on the thumb, just spread out a lot more and of course with less leverage against the thumb itself. So my hand eventually gets tired, even thought the sore spot on the thumb had gone!

Earlier I tried a sling but it did not work well for me. I also tried a sort of spring device that leans against the stomach and attaches at the bell joint of the clarinet. It was made up by Daniel at Woodwind and Reed music shop in Cambridge. It wasn’t bad at all and worked better than a sling. But I felt as if I were engaged in a balancing act all the time and this I found a trifle distracting, especially when site reading at rehearsals! Here’s hoping I take to the Bhob…..

Thank you for the clarification. I’m quite interested in the Kooiman rest and might investigate further when I have a bit more free time than I do at present. I’ve developed a very nasty callous on my right thumb from playing – I’ve had it for years and am used to it now, but it does get quite sore sometimes, especially if I’ve been playing more than usual. Musicians are subjected to a great deal of wear and tear over the years, but I have discovered at least one physical positive to playing a wind instrument: you’re far less likely to develop wrinkles around the mouth because your facial muscles are getting a really good workout all the time. Hooray!

Hope you get on well with the BHOB. If you’d like to contribute to this blog a review of the stands (etc.) you’ve tried, you’d be very welcome.